The Childcare Conspiracy
by Dead Man's Toe
Summary: When Rick goes in search for the Fountain of Youth, he accidentally turns himself, Morty, Beth, and Jerry into children. Frustrated, Summer drops them off at a childcare center, where Rick learns of an alien conspiracy. Then, Morty gets kidnapped, and Rick races against the clock to save him.
1. Fountain of Youth

**Prompt by GiggityGuy.**

* * *

The water was clear and glistening. It looked inviting, but Morty had been warned about how dangerous it was. Still, his eyes were drawn to it, and he couldn't look away.

"Careful, Morty," Rick advised. "Remember, that's the Fountain of Youth." He took his backpack off and pulled out a pair of gloves. "Don't even touch it," he said, handing them to Morty.

"Or I'll turn into a little kid again, I remember," Morty replied, taking the gloves and putting them on. "Still it's beautiful to look at."

Rick put on his own pair of gloves. "Yeah, it is," he agreed. "But dangerous." He pulled out a pair of bottles and two towels. "You ready?"

"Yeah," Morty replied, picking up a bottle and uncapping it. "Let's go get some youth water."

Morty approached the pool cautiously with his grandpa right behind him. He knelt down at the water's edge, taking care not to get too close. Gently, he took the bottle, and with his gloved hand scooped the water up. He capped the lid then dried the bottle off with a towel. Carefully, he removed his gloves and cast them aside.

Rick had done the same, and was now putting his bottle of youth water into the backpack. Morty walked back to him and placed his bottle inside as well. "Good work, Morty," Rick complimented.

"What are you gonna do with this?" Morty asked.

"Study it," Rick replied. "Do you know how long I've been searching for the Fountain of Youth? I wanna know how this stuff works, Morty. And- and more importantly, how I can use it."

"You gonna weaponize it?" Morty asked. "Turn your enemies into babies?"

Rick smiled. "Great pitch. I might just do that. First, I gotta figure out how it works."

Morty picked up the backpack and slung it over his shoulders. "Well, let me know what you find," he said. "You ready to go home now?"

"Yeah," Rick agreed, pulling out his portal gun. He shot open a portal and jumped through it. Morty followed him, landing in the garage.

He moved to gently set the pack of water down on Rick's desk. "Have fun with your youth water," he said. "I'm going to go get some breakfast.

And with that, he left the room, leaving Rick to his work. His mom was standing in the kitchen, scrambling some eggs. "Good morning, sweetie," she said. "Were you out with Rick all night?"

"It actually wasn't for very long," Morty replied. "He just needed my help getting some water from the Fountain of Youth."

"Fountain of Youth, huh?" Summer asked as she walked into the kitchen. "Grandpa's not turning himself into a teenager again, is he?"

Morty grimaced, remembering the pile of dead clones sitting on the basement floor. "God, I hope not," he said. "But he's just studying it for now."

"Whatever," Summer replied. "I'm going to work," she said and left.

Morty waited until he heard the front door open and close before speaking. "Is she still grumpy about yesterday?" he asked.

Beth sighed. "Yeah," she responded.

Morty really wished he had been able to help her yesterday with her friend drama. It hurt to see his sister in tears over something that seemed so trivial. But seeing as he had no friends, he had no friendship advice, and that had really pissed her off.

"Well, I'm gonna catch some zzzs since Rick woke me up early," Morty said with a yawn at the end.

"Ok, sweetie," Beth replied. "Sleep well."

* * *

The water from the Fountain of Youth was fascinating. As far as Rick could tell, it contained genetic-altering properties that reversed the aging process. But what would happen if he froze it or heated it up?

He grabbed one of the bottles and headed into the kitchen. Beth was there, eating some scrambled eggs. "Hey, Dad," she greeted him.

"Hey, sweetie," he replied.

Beth looked curiously at the bottle in his hand. "Is that the water from the Fountain of Youth that Morty was telling me about?"

"Yep," Rick answered. "So it's incredibly important -urp- that you don't touch it." He opened his drawer in the freezer and set it next to his pint of cherry garcia.

Beth smiled at him. "Whatever you say, Dad."

Rick returned to the garage and pulled out his heating pad. He plugged it in and set the temperature to low. He took a swig from his flask. Admittedly, he was a little more drunk than he should be, but he didn't really care. His vision was starting to get blurry as he uncapped the second bottle and placed it on the heating pad.

His intention wasn't to boil it. He knew how dangerous that could be since breathing in the vapor would cause him to turn young again. And he definitely did not want that again. But he wanted to see if the warmer water worked faster.

He took another swig from his glass and looked at the particles through his microscope. They appeared to be moving faster, or was his vision just blurry still? He blinked, and his head drooped a little. He sat up quickly, startled. What was he doing again? He took another drink.

Rick saw spots before blacking out.

* * *

Feeling much better after his nap, Morty shuffled his way downstairs. His parents were enjoying coffee in the kitchen, smiling and laughing. He smiled watching them.

"Hey, Morty," Beth greeted him. "Ready for some breakfast?"

"Yeah, just let me check up on Rick first," Morty answered.

He opened the door to the garage and found a very small Rick passed out on his work desk while the youth water was boiling. "Shit!" Morty exclaimed, rushing to turn the hot pad off. He could already feel himself beginning to shrink.

"Morty, what's wrong?" he heard his mother calling.

"Don't come in here!" he exclaimed frantically, his voice rising higher, but as he turned to look in the doorway, he realized it was already too late. Both of his parents were shrinking.

"What's happening?" Jerry asked frantically.

"Rick boiled the water from the Fountain of Youth," Morty explained. "It's in the air."

Jerry looked down at himself. "What is it doing to me?"

Morty sighed with exasperation as he stared at his grandad's unconscious body. How could someone so smart be so stupid. "It's turning us into kids," Morty said. "All of us."


	2. Summer to the Rescue

Seeing her parents and brother as little kids was probably the weirdest thing Summer had ever seen, and she had seen some weird stuff ever since Rick had moved in with them. Morty had explained everything to her over the phone, but she still wasn't prepared for what she saw. "You better appreciate that I'm taking my lunch break to help you," she said.

"And we owe you one, big time," Morty replied. "Just wake Rick up and help him fix this."

"And waste even more of my lunch break?" Summer questioned, annoyed. "No, you are going to childcare until I get home. Then I can help Rick."

"But Summer-" Morty whined.

"Remember when I had a problem yesterday and nobody cared?" Summer snapped. "Get in the car."

Her family obeyed with no further argument. Summer walked into the garage cautiously. Morty had said that the vapor particles should be diffused enough by now that it wouldn't affect her, but she was still a little nervous. After a moment with no change, she approached the tiny form of her unconscious grandpa. "You are such an idiot," she murmured as she hoisted him over her shoulder.

With the rest of the family in the back, she gently lowered Rick into the passenger's seat and buckled him up. She then climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. "I get off at seven," she said. "I will pick you up then."

* * *

Rick opened his eyes and found himself staring down at his feet, which were noticeably smaller than normal. "Huh?" he wondered aloud, looking at his surroundings. He was in the car, and Summer was driving. Since when had she gotten so tall? He looked at his hands, small and delicate. "What the hell?" he asked, surprised by the high pitch of his voice.

"You boiled the water from the Fountain of Youth and turned us all into kids," a very childish sounding Morty said.

Rick turned around and was shocked to see Morty, Beth, and Jerry as seven-year-old kids. He gaped as the others glared at him. "Shit," he muttered. "Okay, I can fix this. Summer, you need to take us home-"

"No," Summer replied sternly.

"Excuse me?" Rick asked, his high-pitched voice far less intimidating than normal.

"I said no," Summer repeated. "I'm taking you to childcare until I get off work."

Rick gave her his best death glare. "I am not doing that," he said, crossing his arms.

"Rick, just shut up and go along with it, okay?" Morty whined. "None of us like it either, but you're the one who got us into this mess in the first place."

He glared back at Morty. "You know I could fix this easily," he said.

Morty rolled his eyes. "Yes, we know. Of course you can. You're a genius, blah blah blah," Morty said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Rick hardened his glare. "None of us want to do this, and your complaining isn't going to change anything. Fix us when we get back home."

Rick sighed and turned back around. "You're an even bigger pain in the ass at this age, Morty," he grumbled. "Fine. I'll go with it. But we are never talking about this again."

"Glad we've reached an agreement then," Summer said. "I can't believe I'm seventeen and I have four children."

"Well maybe now you can sympathize with your mom," Rick quipped.

"Hey!" Beth protested. Rick felt a sharp kick against the back of his seat, but it was the sound of her voice that took his breath away. He hadn't heard that little voice in so long. Until now, he hadn't realized that he missed it.

"Beth," he gently breathed out.

"Yes, Dad?" Beth asked, sounding concerned.

Rick blushed. "Nothing. It's just... you're my little girl again."

Beth's hand reached up around the seat and squeezed his shoulder. "I've always been your little girl," she replied.

He reached up and squeezed her hand. Rick was starting to think that spending one day with his family as children wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

When they got to the daycare center, Morty and Rick got into some kind of argument over Rick's drinking habits. Not wanting to get involved, Beth grabbed Jerry's hand and pulled him into a corner. The daycare was bright and colorful, kind of like Froopy Land where she went to as a real child when her parents were never around. It made her feel a little sad to think about it, but she brushed it off.

Other kids were running around, making a lot of noise. Beth cringed. Her child ears could hear a lot better than her adult ones, and she was starting to realize why she shouldn't miss it. Morty and Summer had never been this loud. She had never realized before how lucky she was.

Once she and Jerry found a quieter spot, Beth dropped his hand and turned to face him. "I've been thinking," she began. "What if we stay like this?"

Jerry laughed. "What if we stay like this? That's a good one, Beth," he replied.

Beth huffed in annoyance. "I'm being serious, Jerry," she said.

Her husband looked at her in complete confusion. "Why on Earth would you want to do that?" he asked.

"Because," Beth started, looking around awkwardly. "It's no secret that neither of us have ended up where we wanted in life."

Jerry's brows furrowed. "But we have our family. I'm happy."

"I know," Beth agreed. "But you're unemployed. Imagine what you could do if you went back to school and got a degree?"

"I don't think I need to be a kid to do that," Jerry argued.

Beth shook her head. "No," she agreed. "But you know what would help? Scholarships. A good high school gpa."

Jerry nodded. "While all that is true, why would we do that?"

Beth grabbed Jerry's hands. "What if this is our chance to start over?" she asked. "Together. No unwanted pregnancies. Nothing is standing in our way. I could become a real surgeon, and you could become a director like many of your alternate selves."

She could see the conflict in Jerry's eyes. "But what about our kids?" he asked. "Who would take care of them?"

"Well, Summer's almost eighteen, and Morty has Rick," Beth replied.

Jerry raised his eyebrows. "You would trust Rick to take care of our son full time?"

Beth grimaced. "Well, it's not like we have to completely disappear," she said. "We could stick around to supervise."

"And have Rick look after us too?" Jerry questioned with a laugh.

"Look, I'm not saying my plan is perfect," Beth admitted. "But I know the two of us could work it out together." Jerry still looked unconvinced. "Can you just promise me you'll think about it?"

Jerry sighed. "Alright," he relented with a nod. "I'll think about it."


	3. Taken

Morty had stormed off, leaving Rick to pout. He hated when things were his fault, as Morty had pointed out, and he always refused to take the blame. This was one of those times.

He stood sulking in the corner. Rick had tried to engage with Beth, but she was always with Jerry. He could barely stand Jerry as an adult, much less as a child, so he would wait for Jerry to leave Beth alone. That didn't keep him from watching them though. Despite his grumpy exterior, he did enjoy hearing Beth's laugh and watching her make things out of Playdough, even if it was with Jerry.

For a moment, Rick was filled with a pang of regret as he realized just how much of Beth's childhood he had missed. He frowned to himself. There was no good excuse for simply abandoning her, and while he usually didn't feel bad about it, seeing her so young was bringing up all these unpleasant feelings.

Begrudgingly, he pushed himself off the wall, deciding that he needed to spend time with little Beth, even if Jerry was around. He approached her at the Playdough table and smiled warmly. "How are you, sweetheart?" he asked.

Beth looked up and smiled. "Surprisingly well given the situation," she responded. "You know, I almost don't want to turn back.

Rick didn't miss Jerry's frown, and he eyed Beth suspiciously. "But you will, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course," Beth replied, not looking him in the eye.

"Beth," Rick said sternly. "I know you'd love to relive your lost childhood, but we can't. You have kids. Responsibilities."

"I know," Beth replied with a guilty nod. "But still, wouldn't it be cool to start over?"

Rick grunted in response. There wasn't enough money in the multiverse that could make him stay young. He had tried bring a teenager, and that hadn't worked out at all. Already, he could feel his brain aching from his loss of neurons. Child or not though, he was still a genius. He already knew how to fix them; it was just a matter of getting home. Under his breath, he grumbled at Summer for dropping him off here. But with the way little Beth's eyes lit up, he couldn't stay mad.

He looked up to see Morty talking to a redhead girl by the fake kitchen and smiled to himself. His grandson seemed to have a thing for redheads, not that Rick could blame him.

An insistent tapping started on his shoulder, and Rick turned around in annoyance to see a blonde boy in a green shirt. "What do you want?" he snapped, but then he looked up into the boy's eyes, wide with terror. "What's wrong?" he asked more gently.

The boy started tapping again, and this time, Rick payed attention. He quickly recognized the boy's frantic taps as morse code.

... . .-.. .-. - .

Help me.

Rick's brow furrowed in concern. "With what?" he asked. The boy quickly shushed him and grabbed his arm. He led Rick off to a hidden corner, looked around to make sure no one was listening, and turned to face him. "What's wrong?" Rick asked again in a whisper.

"They're going to take me," he whispered frantically.

"They? Who's they?" Rick questioned.

The boy bit at his lip nervously. "Kids are always disappearing from here and never seen again," he explained.

"Wouldn't the parents notice if their children were going missing?" Rick asked skeptically.

With a shake of his head, the boy continued. "The parents go missing too. And then they end up on the news. Dead."

Rick swallowed hard. It seemed that this boy had a valid case. Missing children, dead parents- it wasn't something Rick wanted to get into in the body of a child, but he didn't seem to have a choice. "Come on," he said. "Let's go get my gr- um, friend. We'll figure out what to do."

The boy nodded, and Rick began to lead him to the spot where he had last seen Morty. He was alone now, trying to build a tower out of legos. "Morty," Rick whispered urgently.

"What do you want, Rick?" Morty grumbled.

"I'm not here to argue," Rick quickly said. "But we have a situation."

Morty looked up at him, concerned. "What do you mean a situation?"

Rick turned around to introduce the other child, and a cold fear ran through his body when he didn't see him. He waved his head back and forth, searching frantically. "No," Rick muttered. "They got him already."

A gentle hand was placed on his arm. "Who's they, Rick? What's going on?" Morty asked.

With a sigh of defeat, Rick quickly turned back around and began to explain everything to Morty. "Someone at this daycare is kidnapping children and killing their parents," Rick whispered. "I was on my way here with the kid who tipped me off, but they must have grabbed him.

"Aw, geez," Morty muttered. "What did he look like?"

"Blonde hair. Green shirt. About our height."

With a look of determination filling his eyes, Morty nodded. "We're going to find him," he promised Rick. "But we'll do it faster if we split up."

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Rick had decided to retrace his steps, searching for any sort of trap. Because that's how he would do it. Because he was a genius. But Morty doubted that whoever was running this operation was as smart as Rick. He knew where to look to find the kid.

He stared at Rick's back, feeling guilty for what he was about to put his grandpa through. 'I trust you, Rick,' he thought to himself. 'And I know you will save me.'

With a hard gulp, Morty turned to the counter. Normally, he was a very anxious, timid child, but something about other people's lives being on the line made him a bit braver. Morty inhaled a deep breath. He could do this. With as much resolve as he could muster, he walked up to the lady behind the counter.

"Hi, kiddo," the woman greeted him, smiling warmly at him. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Morty nodded. There was no turning back now. "Yeah, actually," he said. "My friend went missing. He has blonde hair and a green shirt. Have you seen him?"

The woman looked nervous for a second before collecting herself and smiling again. "I have," she replied. "Just come with me."

She put a hand on his shoulder and began to lead him to the back door. Morty turned around, and he caught Rick staring at him in wide-eyed horror. It looked like he was about to rush the woman, but Morty quickly shook his head and mouthed, 'Don't.' He could see the conflict written all over Rick's face as he stood frozen, and Morty felt the familiar sense of guilt.

The door opened, and Morty was rushed through. As soon as he heard the door closing behind him, two green, humanoid aliens stepped into his line of sight. The woman suddenly grabbed his arms and yanked them behind his back. Morty felt the cold steel as his hands were cuffed behind him. He was shoved roughly towards the aliens as the woman ordered, "Take him."

Without a word, one of the aliens approached him and grabbed him by his waist, hoisting Morty over his shoulder. They exited through a back door leading outside, where Morty could see from his upside-down point of view a small spaceship. He was loaded on and unceremoniously dropped to the floor. Morty grunted in pain as he sat up, surrounded by a couple of other terrified kids. Among them was Rick's friend with the green shirt.

The spaceship door closed, and after a minute, Morty could feel them taking off. He had no idea where they were going, but he did know one thing: Rick was going to rescue him. It was only a matter of time. Rick was going to save him and stop whatever sick trafficking that was going on here. He had complete faith in his grandpa.

As the ship jostled, Morty leaned up against the wall and tried to settle his racing heart. Just because he had complete trust in Rick didn't mean he wasn't terrified of what was about to happen. But there was nothing he could do now. He had made his choice.


	4. Alien Base

As soon as Summer entered the daycare, Rick rushed towards her. "We need to talk," he said in a low voice. "Take me into the bathroom."

Summer looked confused, but she went along with it. "Alright, let's go," she said. Rick grabbed her hand and hurriedly pulled her along. Summer closed the bathroom door behind them and locked it. "Ok, now tell me what's going on," she demanded.

Rick bit at his lip guiltily. "I may have fucked up," he admitted.

"Twice in one day?" Summer asked, unamused.

"This is some serious shit you got us into, Summer! Morty's been taken!" Rick exclaimed in frustration, mostly directed at himself.

Summer's eyebrows shot up in a look of horror. "Taken? What do you mean taken?" she asked frantically.

"This whole daycare's a front," Rick explained. "Children are being taken, and their parents are killed. Morty and I were investigating when he said we should split up, which I never would have done if I had known he was planning on serving himself up on a silver platter."

"Oh my god!" Summer exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand. "What are we going to do?"

Rick growled in annoyance. "We aren't going to do anything. You're gonna take me home where I can turn myself back into an adult and go rescue his dumb ass."

"I'll help," Summer replied.

"No," Rick said. "I need you to watch your parents. I have a feeling they're not going to want to turn back."

Summer made a disgusted face. "That is so weird," she groaned. "Ok, let's go get Mom and Dad before those idiots get taken too."

Rick nodded in agreement and followed Summer out of the bathroom. The lady behind the desk, the one who had taken Morty, was smiling up at them, making Rick's stomach flip with disgust. "Hi, can I help you?" she asked in a sickly sweet tone.

"Just looking for Beth and Jerry," Summer replied, nonchalant. Rick had to admit that he was impressed by her lying skills, but then again she was a teenage girl. "Oh, there they are!" Summer exclaimed, waving them over.

The couple looked too happy, Rick thought. He wondered if he was going to have to restrain them in order to reverse the deaging process. They ran up to Summer, all smiles and giggles. "Where's Morty?" Beth asked.

"Already in the car," Summer lied smoothly.

Beth grabbed Jerry's hand and skipped out to the car. "I see what you mean," Summer said with a grimace. "I mean, this was supposed to be punishment, but they are way too happy."

Rick nodded grimly as he followed Summer outside. Beth and Jerry climbed into the back while he and Summer sat in the front. "Where's Morty?" Beth questioned. "I thought you said he was already in the car."

Summer shot a look to Rick. "Wanna explain, Grandpa?"

He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling even guiltier now that he had to explain the situation to Morty's parents. "Well, um, this daycare isn't exactly what it appears to be," he began.

Jerry glared daggers at him while Beth stared at him in horror. "Where's Morty?" she demanded.

"The daycare's a front. They're kidnapping children," Rick said bluntly.

"And you let them kidnap my son?" Jerry bellowed angrily.

Rick sighed. "Morty made the decision to get captured without consulting me," he said, still annoyed at the boy's stupidity.

"And we're just leaving him there?" Beth screeched in horror.

"No," Rick sighed, pressing his fingers to his temples. "I'm turning myself back into an adult, gearing up, and then I'm gonna go rescue him."

Beth gave him a dark look. "You had better," she said. "If anything happens to him, it's on you."

Rick swallowed hard. She was right, and he knew it.

* * *

As the ship flew, Morty scooted his way over to the blonde boy Rick had described. He was sitting alone in a corner with tear tracks down his cheeks. He looked at Morty in confusion as Morty managed to push his way next to him.

"Hi," Morty greeted him, giving him a warm smile. "You asked my friend Rick for help," he explained. The boy's eyes widened in recognition. "My name's Morty. What's your name?"

"Greg," the young boy answered timidly.

Morty nodded. "Ok, Greg. Don't worry. Rick's gonna get us out of here."

"How?" Greg asked, looking hopeless.

"He's not actually a kid," Morty admitted. "He's my grandpa, and he accidentally turned himself into a kid in a science experiment accident. But he's gonna turn himself back and come rescue us."

Greg's brows furrowed in confusion. "So why are you here?" he asked.

"To give my grandpa some extra motivation," Morty answered. "And because I figured having an inside man would help him."

The ship jostled harshly, and Morty fell to his side with a grunt. After a few minutes with no further movement, Morty assumed he had landed. He tried to move back into a sitting position, but with his hands cuffed behind his back he couldn't. All he could do was lay there helplessly as he waited for the aliens to appear.

It wasn't long before the door opened and Morty saw two more of the same aliens step inside. He wasn't scared, but he did feel extremely uncomfortable. Apparently, this species didn't cover their junk.

One by one, the kids on the ship were snatched up, and the aliens would reappear after a few minutes. Morty held his breath as one of them approached him, and he found himself being flung over another green shoulder. Normally, Morty would have fought like hell to get away, but he had a special mission. They were inside some garage, and the alien was moving towards the door. He remained silent as he was thrown down into a small, white room.

Another alien approached Morty and pulled him to his feet. He (at least Morty assumed it was a he) began squeezing and poking Morty in various places. Morty grunted as both of his ass cheeks were squeezed hard. Next, the alien grabbed his jaw and shoved his other hand into Morty's mouth, examining his teeth.

When the examining alien pulled away, the first alien grabbed Morty by his cuffed arms and steered him into the next room. It was barren, with only a concrete floor and rows of cots. The kids that had been taken before him were spread out around the room, each looking equally terrified. Morty was uncuffed and shoved forward, hands and knees hitting the ground with a groan. His child body wasn't as tough as his regular body.

The door was slammed shut, and Morty was left alone with the other children. He picked himself off the floor with a sigh and sat down on the nearest cot. Rick would rescue him; he was sure of that. But first, Morty needed to find out everything about this place. He searched the room, looking for another exit, and his eyes settled on the air vent. It would be tricky, and he would need help, but Morty was sure he could do it.

A few minutes later, Greg was unceremoniously shoved into the room in the same fashion Morty was. The scared boy glanced frantically around the room and locked eyes with Morty. He scrambled to sit next to Morty on the cot. "You really think your grandpa's gonna be able to bust us out of here?" he asked.

"I know he will," Morty answered. "But I need to figure out everything I can about this place first, and to do that, I'm gonna need your help." Greg nodded timidly. "How many kids were left on the ship after they took you?" Morty asked.

"Two," Greg answered.

Morty nodded. "Okay. So we're gonna have to wait until everyone gets here."

More minutes passed and two girls were brought into the room. He rushed over to the door. Pressing his ear up to it, he listened closely for the aliens.

"Is that everyone?"

"Yes. We have a juicy group this week, no?"

"We do indeed. We should make a pretty penny off of them."

"The boss will be pleased. The human at the daycare does good work for us."

"Humans will do anything for the right price, even selling off their own young."

Laughter echoed throughout the room, and he heard the door to the garage open and slam. It seemed these aliens couldn't do anything quietly. There was no nob or handle on the door, so Morty pushed against it as hard as he could. Just as he suspected, it didn't budge.

He rushed back over to the cot and slid under it. "What are you doing?" Greg asked.

"Getting something to unscrew the air vent with," Morty answered. Luckily, springs under the cot were loose, and Morty had no problem pulling one down. He wasn't surprised that the cots were of extremely low quality. They weren't exactly guests of honor. From what Morty had gathered, they were going to be sold. The idea filled Morty with anxiety, but he was sure Rick would find him in time. Hell, Rick would probably even be here today.

Morty climbed out from under the cot. He motioned for Greg to follow him and made his way to the air vent. It sat about half a foot down from the ceiling which luckily wasn't too high, but it was still out of Morty's reach. "How are you gonna get up there?" Greg asked.

"You," Morty answered. Greg nodded grimly as if he had been expecting that.

"Alright," Greg replied, crouching down. "Let's do this."

Morty crawled up on top of the other boy and slung his legs around Greg's shoulders. Slowly, Greg stood, and once he was steady, Morty maneuvered himself so that he was standing on Greg's shoulders. "Hurry," Greg grunted, and Morty nodded.

He made quick work of the screw, pocketing it along with the the spring. With a grunt, Morty hoisted himself up halfway into the vent and squirmed the rest of his way inside. For the first time, he was grateful for his smaller body as he was able to turn around and slide the vent shut. "Wait here," Morty instructed. "He couldn't see Greg anymore, but he trusted that the boy would be there for him when he got back.

There was a path to his left, which Morty assumed led to the garage, and a path straight above him. Morty took off his shoes then jumped up, catching himself with his hands and feet on the walls of the vent. He bit his lip to keep his groans inside him as he slowly, painfully climbed.

By the time he reached the second floor, he was covered in sweat. There was only one room, and Morty crawled his way over. Morty found himself staring at a thankfully empty hall with a stage on the opposite side. This room, he guessed, was where the aliens sold the kids.

He moved on to the third floor and made his way around, seeing the alien's quarters and prison cells. With nothing left to see and the layout of the building mapped in his head, Morty made his way back to the children's room. He slid the vent back open and peaked inside. Greg was sitting just below him, nervously wringing his hands together. "Greg," Morty called, causing the other boy to look up.

Greg quickly scrambled to stand under the vent, allowing Morty to climb back down on his shoulders. Morty slid the vent closed, and Greg helped him climb back down. "What do we do now?" Greg asked.

"We wait for my grandpa," Morty answered, laying down on one of the cots. He closed his eyes, thinking he may as well get some rest before Rick showed up.

* * *

Rick used the frozen bottle to calibrate the Morphizer-Xe's settings while Summer watched on. She could hear her parents giggling in the living room over the sound of a cartoon. It wasn't long before Rick had finished working on the machine and was pulling the lever. An electric light surrounded his body as he grew back to the old man she knew and loved.

"Yeah, Grandpa's back baby!" Rick exclaimed. "No time to celebrate though. Gotta get Morty." Summer watched him disappear into the hatch under the rug, presumably to gather his deadliest weapons. "Go take care of your parents!" he yelled back, the disgust obvious in his tone.

Summer sighed and made her way back to the living room. Beth was laying across the couch with her head in Jerry's lap as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Alright, Rick's old again. It's your turn," Summer announced.

Beth looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Come on, Summer. Can't we just stay like this a little while longer?"

Feeling defeated, Summer looked at her dad who had a guilty expression on his face. "It would make your mother really happy," he explained.

"Fine," Summer relented, plopping down on the chair. "But when Rick and Morty get back, Rick's going to make you change back."

She ended up paying more attention to her parents than to whatever show they were watching. It was weird to see them being so affectionate with each other. Come to think of it, she couldn't remember the last time she had seen her parents like this. Happy. It made her heart warm inside, and she smiled.

It was weird, but then again her family had always been weird. And if this was what made her parents happy, then who was she to deny them that?

As she continued to watch them, her mind wandered to her little brother. Morty must be so scared, she thought. It was an incredibly brave (stupid, but brave) thing he had done. Summer wondered, if she were in Morty's position, would she have enough faith in her grandpa to get herself willingly captured and wait on him to rescue her? She wasn't sure.

But she had faith in him now. He was going to bring Morty home.


	5. Interrogation

**Author's note:** Hey guys... didn't actually realize how long it had been until I got Wolowizard's message. Time flies when you're in the middle of a bipolar episode and spend most of the day sleeping, I guess. Writing actually does make me feel better, so I'll try not to let a week go by again without an update (for all my stories, which are mostly R&M, and I know a few of you read all of those).

* * *

Rick grumbled to himself as he parked his ship in front of the daycare. Why did Morty have to be so reckless? Maybe he'd lost too many neurons to have any survival instincts. Whatever the case was, it was now up to him to rescue Morty. Multiple guns were strapped onto his body, and he felt angry enough to take out the entire Galactic Federation.

He approached the closed daycare and, knowing the doors would be locked, quickly blasted them open with a ray gun. The woman behind the desk looked up at him and screamed. Rick rolled his eyes as he aimed the gun at her forehead. "Take me where you take the kids, or I'll blow your brains out and figure it out myself," he demanded.

The woman, who was now quivering in fear, nodded her head and turned towards the door behind her. Rick was right behind her as she entered the back room. The first thing Rick noticed were two green, humanoid aliens that he didn't recognize. And their nakedness was something he definitely would have remembered if he had come across that species before. He wasted no time in shooting them. The woman's scream covered the sound of their bodies hitting the floor. "You didn't have to kill them!" she protested. The fact that she was upset clued Rick onto the fact that this woman wasn't a victim here. She was just as guilty as the aliens.

"No," Rick agreed. "But I wanted to." The woman turned a sickly shade of green as she crossed the room to another door and opened it.

Rick wasn't surprised when he stepped outside and saw a spaceship. It was fairly large and looked like it could easily be used to transport kidnapped children. Rick knew he had low morals, but the thought of somebody kidnapping children still made his stomach turn. Maybe he did have a line after all. "That will be all," he said, turning back to the woman and shooting her before she got the chance to scream again. He only paused for a brief moment to look at her in disgust before boarding the ship.

The ship itself was easy enough to hack into, after all, he was a genius. All it took was accessing the ship's travel log and turning autopilot on, and the ship was flying off to the stars. Rick sat up in the driver's seat anxiously. He had no idea what he was walking into. At the daycare, he had been so consumed by his rage that he hadn't even thought to ask questions. Now it was too late.

He couldn't help but curse Morty's name for letting himself get captured. Now, instead of this being one of those fun Rick and Morty adventures, it was a goddamn rescue mission. Not only were those less exciting, but there was way more at stake. Of course his growing anxiety didn't help his mood. He couldn't shake the persisting fear that something horrible would (or already had) happened to his grandson while Rick was unable to protect him.

It wasn't long until a desolate planet came into view, though Rick knew his own ship could have gotten him there faster. The planet itself was unimpressive, but a lone, tall building broke the skyline. Rick glared at it warily as the ship drew nearer, eventually landing right in front of it. A large, steel door opened itself up, and the ship drove itself inside. Luckily, there was no one else in the room. The door closed, leaving Rick alone in the darkness.

He hopped out of the ship and slowly advanced on the door, holding the ray gun out in front of him. A logical part of him knew that he should be careful, but he was Rick Sanchez. He rushed in, blew shit up, then rushed back out. He wasn't someone who needed caution. And he was starting to see where his grandson got his recklessness from.

With a pull of the trigger, the door was blasted off of its hinges. He paused for a second and took the following silence as a sign that no one was there. It was actually a little disappointing. He had been hoping to shoot more people.

As soon as he stepped through the doorway, electricity shot through his entire body, and he groaned in pain. His muscles loosened as the gun fell from his grip and he collapsed to the floor. Rick struggled to stand, but he had been paralyzed from the neck down. All he could do was move his eyes, trying to assess the situation.

Two large, ugly, green feet came into view. A deep-throated laughter filled his ears. "I don't know who you are, but did you really think the Earthling female wouldn't alert me that something was wrong?" the alien asked.

Now Rick was extra glad he had shot her. "I didn't take her to be the type who had a backbone," he admitted. The lack of sensation in his body began to fill him with panic. He hated being out of control. Even when he got shot, he was still in control. But now, he was at the complete mercy of this unknown alien.

The alien scoffed. "I didn't get to be where I am by charging in recklessly. I watch. I observe. I plan. Too bad you won't have the chance to learn from me," he said nonchalantly.

Two more aliens entered and grabbed Rick by his shoulders. "Take him to cell block A53," he instructed them. "I'll be there in a minute to interrogate him."

They quickly stripped him of all his weapons before carrying him off. Rick memorized the way he was taken because he knew he would need the internal map when he escaped. If he escaped. No, he couldn't let himself think like that. Morty was in danger, and that's all that mattered.

He was dragged up two flights of stairs and around a corner. Rick eyed the doors they passed and listened for any sounds coming from within, but he heard nothing. His toes began to twitch, and he experimentally wiggled them. It seemed his body was coming out of paralysis.

A door was opened, and Rick was thrown inside. He grunted and let his body fall in a heap so as not to give away his recovery. As soon as the door closed, he began moving his limbs. His waist was stuck, but he was able to use his arms to roll himself onto his back and prop himself up. He still didn't have the strength to stand, but with the way his body was healing, he was hopeful that the rest would come back to him before his interrogator could arrive.

Looking around the room, Rick was disappointed by how bare it was. Everything was cold concrete, and there wasn't even a bed. A chill ran down his spine, knowing that meant he wasn't going to be here for long. He needed to escape now.

As he tried to hoist himself to his feet, the door swung open again. Due to the weakness of his muscles and his surprise, he collapsed right back onto the floor. A smug grin came over the alien leader's face. "You're healing. Good," he said. A strange rod sat in his hand, and Rick knew that could only be bad for him.

The alien closed the door slowly behind him and approached Rick's crumpled form. They met eyes, and Rick grimaced as he observed the pure sadism in the other. Not even the Gromflamites had eyes like that, including the assassin he used to sell to.

Rick screamed in pain as the rod met his side. Hot electricity rushed through him, causing all his muscles to convulse. His vision blurred, blocking out those sadistic eyes. "How did you find out about us?" he demanded.

"One of the kids figured it out, genius," Rick spat.

An alarming glint filled the alien's eyes. "Your kid?" he asked.

Rick swallowed a lump in his throat. No matter what happened, he couldn't let them know about Morty. "My only kid is an adult, asshole," he grunted.

"Then how did you find out?" the alien questioned. "What's your relation to the kid who tipped you off?"

Hesitating, Rick tried to think of a convincing lie. Apparently, he took too long because the rod was stabbed into his other side, and he screamed as his body was on fire once again. "Who told you?" the alien demanded.

"Janet," Rick groaned, randomly blurting out a name.

This time, the rod was jabbed into Rick's stomach, and the searing pain coursed through him again. "Do you like my rod?" the alien asked. "It's programmed to sense how much a person can take before their heart stops and delivers." Rick cursed the nanobots in his bloodstream. "I happen to keep extensive records of all the kids who step through my daycare's doors. There's never been a Janet."

Rick closed his eyes and groaned. "Alright, you caught me," he said. "I didn't know about this operation you're running. I just went there to rob the place."

The rod prodded his forehead, and Rick swore this was worse than every time before. "Do you think I was born yesterday?" the alien asked lazily. "So tell me who you're protecting."

He wasn't stupid, Rick had to admit. Time was running out, he had to give the alien something, but it couldn't be Morty. "Blonde hair. Green shirt," Rick grunted.

"That would be Greg Harris," the alien responded. "But you didn't know his name. So what exactly is your relation to Greg?"

"He's friends with my daughter's kid," Rick lied. "I never bothered to learn his name. But he left a note at my daughter's house, which is where I live."

The alien knelt down by Rick's head to get a closer look into his eyes. "So how did you know he was wearing green?" the alien asked.

"He wears that shirt every Thursday," Rick answered, beginning to panic. He was running out of lies.

Luckily, the alien stood and backed away. "Alright," he said. "I'll question Greg, then I'll decide if I believe you." As the alien left, Rick looked around the room, desperate for something he could use to escape. His eyes fell on the rusty vent in the wall. With enough force, he should be able to break it and escape. But he found himself once again paralyzed, and the dizzying blackness took over his mind.

* * *

Morty jolted awake when he heard a crash. He spotted Greg on the bed next to him and smiled. "Rick's here," he said softly. He stood up and waited to greet Rick's scowling face. Yeah Rick was going to be pissed at him, but when they brought this place down together, he was sure his grandpa would forgive him.

After a minute, nothing had happened, and cold fear settled into Morty's stomach. He ran to the door and pressed his ear against it, hearing only silence. "No," he gasped in disbelief.

"What's wrong?" Greg asked. The other boy had followed him to the door, looking as scared as Morty felt.

"Something must have gone wrong," Morty replied. "My grandpa needs help. I need to get to him now."

Greg's eyes widened as a full out panic overtook him. "How are you going to do that?" he asked.

"The vent," Morty answered.

The two boys ran to the vent, unsure of how much time they had before someone came through the door. As quickly as possible, Morty climbed on top of Greg's shoulders. He slid the vent open, hoisted himself inside, and turned back to Greg. "I will find him, and we will save you," he promised.

"Hurry," Greg advised. Morty nodded before sliding the vent back in place. He remembered seeing prison rooms on the third floor. If Rick was taken, he would be there.

Morty slid off his shoes and began the slow, painful climb through the vents. His child body was sore from doing this earlier, making the journey now even harder. He grunted in pain as he maneuvered himself up the vent. His hands and feet were slick with sweat after a few seconds, making it even harder for Morty to climb.

He made it to the second floor and stopped to let himself breathe. Morty checked on the large hall which was still thankfully empty before attempting to climb the vent again. Every limb ached, but Morty pressed upwards. Rick needed him.

Groaning, Morty lifted himself onto the top floor. He scrambled his way through the vent, checking every room until he saw the familiar lab coat covering his grandpa's bony frame.

"Rick!" Morty called out, but Rick didn't move. He squinted, trying to get a better look at his grandpa. The old man's eyes were closed, and he didn't appear to be breathing.

Panic and adrenaline surged though Morty's body, giving him extra strength as he kicked his foot against the vent as hard as he could. After a few kicks, the cover fell off, and Morty slid down the wall into Rick's cell.

He rushed over to Rick, and his fear was confirmed. The old man wasn't breathing. A quick check to Rick's neck also revealed that he had no pulse. "No," Morty breathed out, shocked. "No!" he screamed, panicked.

Morty pressed his hands together and quickly started performing chest compressions with no idea if it would work. He grimaced at the sickening sound of Rick's ribs cracking, continuously pressing as hard and fast as he could. After a few moments, Morty was about to give up hope.

Then, Rick drew a breath.


	6. Prison Riot

The world came into focus around his grandson's familiar face. It took Rick a second to remember why he looked so young, but as soon as he did, he jolted awake. "Morty!" he exclaimed in a croaked panic. "How did you get in here?"

"The vents," Morty answered as he tugged on Rick's arm. "Come on, we need to get going before they come back."

Rick groaned as he forced himself to sit up. Every breath felt like a stab in his chest. He knew his ribs were broken, but he'd worry about that later. "You need to go, Morty," he instructed. "I'll escape on my own."

"You can't do this alone, Rick!" Morty exclaimed in frustration. "They're going to sell us! My best chance is to stick with you."

"Well these assholes didn't chain me up," Rick grunted. He tried to push himself up further, but his muscles wouldn't hold his weight, so he fell back to the floor. "Morty, I'll think of something. But I can't move. I can't protect you. You need to go."

His grandson glared down at him, and Rick wanted to curse him out for getting the both of them into their current situation. If the idiot hadn't tried to be the hero, then they would be dismantling this operation Rick's way, but things hardly ever went Rick's way when Morty was involved. "They took my weapons, Morty," he pointed out. "What would you suggest I do?"

Morty shook his head in annoyance. "You have thousands of nanobots in your bloodstream, so why can't you heal?"

"Because the electric shocks di- disabled them," Rick explained. "They need time to restart."

"Then I'll buy you time," Morty decided. He stood and walked back to the vent.

Out of sheer panic, Rick was able to drag himself into a sitting position. "No, you're gonna get yourself killed," he snapped.

As Morty pulled himself back into the vent, Rick was surprised by the strength of his tiny body. "If you die, I'll kill you myself," Rick threatened as his grandson crawled out of sight.

"Hold tight," Morty ordered, and Rick rolled his eyes. As if he could do anything else. He sank back down to the floor and closed his eyes. Morty was a brave, resourceful kid with outstanding anger issues. He just needed to have faith that his grandson could pull off whatever the hell he was planning.

* * *

After crawling through the vent all evening, Morty's whole body was on fire. Adventures with Rick tended to be physically exerting, so this was nothing he wasn't used to. Luckily, the aliens hadn't moved Rick's weapons from the entrance. The problem was that two of the aliens were rummaging through his stuff with curiosity. Morty may have been reckless, but even he knew that he couldn't just burst from the vent and take them. Exhausted, he laid along the vent, trying to think of a plan.

Suddenly, his mind was brought back to a room full of other Mortys, all trapped and scared. Though they outnumbered their oppressor, the fear kept them from fighting back. Morty pushed himself back onto his hands and knees. He knew what he had to do. He needed to be the One True Morty once again.

He crawled his way back to the large room where the other children were being held captive. If he could get to Greg, then the other boy would help him. He slid the vent cover open and began to search the room for his friend. When he didn't see Greg, his heart dropped. "Where's Greg?" he called out into the room, fearing the answer.

The children looked up at him from their fearful huddle, turning all their hopeless eyes on him. "He's gone," one girl answered. "They took him."

Morty's chest clenched painfully, but he knew he had to act fast if he wanted to save Greg. "And they're going to take us all!" Morty responded. "That's why we're here! They're going to sell us off to the highest bidder!"

Some of the children clung closer to each other, and most of them started to cry. "But we're not going to let that happen!" Morty continued, and their attention was back on him. "There's more of us than there are of them, so we're going to take them down! Understood?"

Fear turned into determination on each face as the children began to stand and shout in the affirmative. Morty wormed his way out of the vent and jumped down to the floor, landing awkwardly on his ankles. He brushed the pain off and turned to face the tiny army. "Grab that bed," he ordered, and a group of the kids rushed to hoist it over them. "Take down the door," Morty added, and they obeyed. Screaming, they charged at the door, ramming the bed into it. The wooden door shuddered as the kids crashed into it again and again until it swung open.

Due to the sheer momentum of the child-made battering ram, the alien on the other side of the door was trampled. The rest of the kids rushed into the entrance, each stamping on the alien as they passed by. Before joining the others, Morty checked the limp body on the floor. He was dead.

The other alien had been pinned against the garage door by the bed being pushed by the other children. Morty rushed over to Rick's arms stash. He strapped a very large gun to his back and picked up another. It was heavier in this body's hands, but Morty still took aim and fired. The red surge of energy coming from the barrel pushed the alien flat against the wall. He could hear the crunch of bones before the alien crumpled dead onto the bed.

"Find the others," Morty instructed. As the kids began to examine Rick's guns, he charged up the stairs. It was much easier than making the vertical climb up the cramped vent. His breaths came in rough and jagged, and sweat soaked his skin and clothes. He felt wild and feral, like a predator ready to rip apart their prey piece by piece.

He didn't pause once he got to the third floor. Rick's screaming filled the hall, and Morty sprinted in that direction. It was easy to locate the source to one of the plain prison cell doors. Morty held the gun up and with a twitch of his finger blasted the door off its hinges.

Morty paused for a moment, taking in his surrounding. Greg laid limp on the floor but still breathing. Rick was on the floor too, spasming under an electric rod held by another alien. He lifted the rod and turned to run at Morty, but Morty fired again, and the alien splattered against the opposite wall.

Rick groaned and reached a weak hand out to Morty, who set the gun down and rushed to Rick's side. He took his shaky grandpa's hand in his own. "We're okay now, Rick," Morty said softly. "It's time to bring everyone home."


End file.
